Our Favorite Photos Of the Year

The Rf staff jams on their favorite photos of 2016—one from an Rf issue and one from elsewhere in the photo world—to share what grabbed their attention and why.

JACQUELINE TOBIN
Editor-in-Chief, Rangefinder

Photo © Christopher Testani

CHRISTOPHER TESTANI (christophertestani.com) | Rangefinder, “Act Natural“ | April 2016

While Christopher Testani is not a wedding photographer, many of you will, no doubt, be inspired by the way he shoots food and details. For this fish, shot for a Bon Appétit feature, Testani put away his artificial lighting and went au naturel. “I had overcast skies and a studio with a north-facing window,“ he says. “The cool diffuse light gave me exactly the quiet, wintery mood I was looking for.“ Using a small, silver bounce card, he made the dish pop against the dark background.

Photo © Jerry Ghionis

JERRY GHIONIS (jerryghionis.com) | Australian Professional Photography Awards | August 2016
There are many striking components in this image—the use of negative space, the texture in the clothing, the shape of the model’s hair, her fierce expression. Part of an AIPP-winning submission by Jerry Ghionis (for which he won AIPP’s Australian Professional Fashion Photographer of the Year award), I admire both the strength and simplicity Ghionis was able to capture. “My first impression of Allison was that she was extremely timid,“ Ghionis explains. “I wanted to amplify her persona to that of a young, rebellious teen, so we put her in a black tutu and crocodile jacket, applied heavy eye makeup and styled her hair into a mohawk. When she stepped in front of my camera, it all came together.“

KELLY HOLODAK
Art Director, Rangefinder

© Liz Von Hoene

LIZ VON HOENE (stocklandmartel.com) | Rangefinder “The Elegance of Simplicity“ | April 2016

I was blown away when the images from Liz Von Hoene came in for our “Photographer You Should Know“ feature. While it was hard to pick a favorite, Von Hoene’s expertise in fashion, advertising and lifestyle photography are all fully encapsulated in this one gorgeous shot. Through her use of one large light source over multiple fill lights, she is able to manipulate shadows in a way that gives her work a sought-after and recognizable edge.

Photo © Julia Stotz

JULIA STOTZ (juliastotz.com) | Dogvacay | Winter 2015

This photo all but sums up what the autumn season means to me. With cooler weather fast approaching, I took one look at this image by Julia Stotz and it immeditaely evoked wonderfully warm feelings of being wrapped up under a big fluffy blanket with my own dog. The way that this image is able to emote such a specific feeling is a testament to Stotz’s ability to really capture the essence of a season and compose it into one technically beautiful shot. Shot for DogVacay, an online app for pet sitting, Stotz was given the difficult task of making the Los Angeles location feel wintery and cozy. With the use of strobes and a 6 x 6 scrim, the image feels soft and natural, as if lit by gorgeous ambient light.

LIBBY PETERSON
Features Editor, Rangefinder

Photo © Tomasz Wagner 

TOMASZ WAGNER (tomaszwagner.co) | Rangefinder “A Different Kind of Wedding Film” | June 2016

Portraits of grooms are rarely exceptional—it’s an unfortunate truth. This one, however, is. What we initially thought was a veil blowing over the groom’s face is actually, as 2015 Rf 30 Rising Star Tomasz Wagner told us, an in-camera double exposure with a mountain ridge, shot in Scotland’s Isle of Skye. Even with the groom’s eyes closed, it’s an engaging portrait that draws you in. Wagner notes couples often want locations to be well-documented, especially when sentimental. “Along with remembering what it was like to be there through the images,“ he says, “I wanted the landscape to quite literally be a part of them.“

Photo © Dan O’Day

DAN O’DAY (danodayphotography.com.au) | Instagram

Reflections and “little couple, big scene“ shots can be so contrived and cheesy, but not here. I did a double take when it popped up on Instagram. All of the elements in the frame seem to harmonize perfectly—the rough and smooth textures, the warm and cool colors, the lines and shapes that seem to alternately rise and cascade toward the bride and groom. You might walk right past this scene at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, but Dan O’Day knew to stop. He told the couple to go to the other side of this infinity pool, he set his lens on the water’s edge and, as light streamed through the dome above, captured these two as they were.

STACEY GOLDBERG
Online Editor, Rangefinder

Photo © Ed Peers

ED PEERS (edpeers.com) | Rangefinder “A 30 Rising Stars Union” | May 2016

I envision myself standing exactly where the photographer, 2015 Rf 30 Rising Star Ed Peers, was standing when I look at this shot. With the door swung open, we’re invited to jump right into the party—which just so happens to be the backyard wedding of fellow 30 Rising Stars Jennifer Moher and Hugh Whitaker. It’s the fine details that speak volumes in this image: the no-shoes-required dress code, crafty decor, strings of lights and plenty of food to go around. The shot may have been taken from a distance, but there’s no doubt the viewer is a welcome guest.

Photo © Amanda Pratt

AMANDA PRATT (amandapratt.com) | PDN “Kids’ Photography, Coming of Age“ | May 2016

This image, taken by New York-based Amanda Pratt for a fall/winter catalogue for Babesta (a hip boutique for babies and kids), is part of a series in PDN in which Pratt and several other photographers discuss the changing needs of kids’ photography clients. Brands today are embracing a more sophisticated aesthetic, and Pratt’s series is a perfect example of this emerging trend. There are no playgrounds, no toys, no pigtails—just a couple of kids with oversized headphones and vintage records rocking out to music.